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New Key Model Predicts 539,000 U.S. COVID Deaths by April; Biden to Call for 100 Days of Mask-Wearing on his First Day; Biden Vows to Keep Commitment on Diverse Cabinet. Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired December 04, 2020 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:59:30]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kate Bolduan. Thank you so much for joining us this hour.

More Americans died from the coronavirus yesterday than any other day during the pandemic. 2,879 people. Which means that one American died every 30 seconds from the virus. It's just hard to grasp this at this point.

And now a new influential model is predicting by April, just four months from now, there will be almost double the amount of deaths in the country, now predicting 539,000 people will die. According to that very same model, the virus is the leading cause of death in the country this week. A virus that we had never even heard of a year ago is now the leading cause of death in this country.

The country is also blowing through another record for another day. The number of people sick enough with COVID that they need hospital care. Now over 100,000 people currently in the hospital. It is all beginning to feel eerily familiar. The country back in a very similar moment as the spring except now the entire country, not just a certain - not just certain regions or certain cities, is in much worse shape. But the worst, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci unfortunately is still ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We have not yet seen the post-Thanksgiving peak. That's the concerning thing because the numbers in and of themselves are alarming and then you realize that it is likely we'll see more of a surge as we get two to three weeks past the Thanksgiving holiday. And the thing that concerns me is that abuts right on the Christmas holiday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And as the nation suffers, where is President Trump's focus right now? It remains still on the presidential election. That is now over. Fixated though on baseless lies about massive and widespread election fraud. But we are now learning while President Trump is there, we are learning about Joe Biden's plans to respond to the pandemic once he takes office. During an exclusive interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to issue a standing order that, in federal buildings, you have to be masked, and, in transportation, interstate transportation, you must be masked in airplanes and buses, et cetera.

And, so, it's a matter of -- and I think my inclination, Jake, is, on the first day I'm inaugurated, is to say, I'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask, just 100 days to mask, not forever, 100 days.

And I think we'll see a significant reduction if we incur that -- if that occurs, with vaccinations and masking, to drive down the numbers considerably, considerably.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Do you plan to get vaccinated before Inauguration Day, and will you do it in public the way that Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton have suggested they're willing to do?

BIDEN: I'd be happy to do that.

Once it's declared to be safe, and I think Barack said once Fauci says it -- that's my measure -- then obviously we take it. And it's important to communicate to the American people it's safe, it's safe to do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: CNN's Jessica Dean joining me now for more on this. Jessica, we're also learning more about what President-elect Biden's COVID -- coronavirus team will be looking like and the role of Dr. Anthony Fauci ahead. What are you hearing about that?

JESSICA DEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kate. We heard President-elect Biden tell Jake in that exclusive interview that he has spoken to Dr. Anthony Fauci that he asked him to stay on in his current position. But also to join his COVID team and to act as a chief medical adviser to really bring Dr. Fauci into the Biden administration and have him play a very key role as they work to get their arms around the coronavirus pandemic and drive down the numbers.

You also heard Biden talking there about his plan to ask Americans to mask up for 100 days once he takes office. Here's what Dr. Fauci said about that idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAUCI: He's saying, hey, folks, trust me, everybody for 100 days, now it might be that after that we still are going to need it, but he just wants it, everybody for a commitment for 100 days. And I discussed that with him, and I told him, I thought that was a good idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DEAN: And it's been interesting to see how Biden has framed mask wearing. We started to see him do this on the campaign trail but also now as president-elect. And that's as a patriotic duty not as anything political but more as a patriotic duty to ensure that other Americans don't catch the coronavirus that it's everyone's role that they can play in this pandemic to help drive these numbers down.

We are hearing all of that as we're also learning a little bit more about what his COVID team will look like when he goes into the White House, Kate.

CNN is reporting that we're expecting Jeffrey Zients to join as his White House COVID coordinator. Zients served in the Obama administration and has played a key role as co-chair of his transition team, and also helped kind of write things up with the healthcare.gov when it ran into some problems back during the Obama administration.

And then, of course, Kate, his COVID-19 Advisory Board continuing to brief him, continuing to talk in through these latest numbers and data and we now know that they all have access to the data - the federal data that they wanted to see for so long. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Jessica, thank you so much.

Joining me right now for more on this is Dr. Leana Wen. She's a CNN medical analyst, emergency room physician at George Washington University Hospital, and of course, a former Baltimore City health commissioner. It's good to see you again, Dr. Wen.

[11:05:03]

So, Joe Biden there saying that he's going to ask Americans to wear a mask for the first 100 days of his administration. How do you think that plea is going to sit with Americans? What do you think the real impact of it is going to be?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think there will be a huge impact, and that is in correcting misinformation and at least having our elected officials be on the same page as public health officials. I think a lot of Americans will follow the president-elect's lead.

But I also think that there will be many millions of Americans who may not. And so, it's incumbent upon the president-elect also reach out to those Americans by inflicting other types of trusted messengers including clusters and religious leaders and prominent Republicans will play a big role here too.

BOLDUAN: That's a good point. You know, Dr. Fauci's warning that it's - that right now it is bad, and we still haven't even seen the Thanksgiving fallout of infections. And then you have that often-cited model projecting that deaths will almost double by April.

Why won't the rapid rollout of a vaccine impact these death projection numbers as much as I think people might hope or think that they would? I mean the projection of the model is that there -- it will save only -- I'm not trying to diminish this, but it will save about 11,000 lives by April. I'm sure a lot of folks would hope it would be a lot more.

WEN: I know. We all hope that the vaccine will be a silver bullet but it's not going to be and at least not right away. Because by the time that most Americans have access to the vaccine, we're looking at maybe April or May, which will be fantastic. And certainly, spring and summer will look very different than it currently looks this winter.

The problem though is there's such a limited supply of the vaccine at the moment. It's going to be rolled out initially to healthcare workers, to nursing home residents and then onwards from that to other types of groups but it's going to take time for that rollout to occur. And so, I hope people will take heed. And in the meantime, really hunker down this winter because we have to get through the next several months and then the vaccine will make a big difference after that.

BOLDUAN: And getting through the next several months is kind of where we all need to focus. You see places like California now, Dr. Wen, imposing some new restrictions, putting more - more restrictions and kind of a regional basis. But which states do you think will be or should be next?

WEN: Well, frankly, many of the states that are doing terribly are the ones in the Midwest, the upper Midwest. And frankly all over the country at this point. The amount of restrictions that we impose should be reflective of how terrible things are when it comes to the healthcare system. Because when hospitals are at the brink, you really have no choice but to impose these restrictions. And again, nobody wants.

I think though, Kate, that it is way past time for us to even be doing the simple things. There are still states that are very hard hit that have not imposed even mask wearing mandates yet. That's not a lockdown, that's actually the opposite of a lockdown.

Masks are what allow us to keep our businesses and our schools open. It's far past time for us to be doing that and in the meantime, taking a close look at hospital capacity. Not waiting until the last moment when the ICUs are already at the brink but imposing these restrictions sooner to avoid that point.

BOLDUAN: You know, Dr. Wen, we're getting a flood of viewer questions about the vaccine. I want to just take a moment to bring a couple of them to you. There's a lot still not known.

Here's one of them from Caitlin who - this is from North Liberty, Iowa. And she's asking: How will people who have already had COVID be prioritized for vaccination? Will there be - will there be -- that's essentially, I think kind of the main question.

She has a question about antibody testing to determine if someone needs a vaccine, but how do -- what does the vaccine mean for folks who have already had COVID is something that's a really good question. WEN: Yes. It is a very good question. So, people who have already had COVID or think that they have it should still be receiving the vaccine. And that's because if you had natural infection, we don't know how long your antibodies and your immunity will last. We don't know how consistent it is and the vaccination will probably give you longer and more consistent protection than getting the natural infection.

So, antibody testing probably is not going to be necessary and people should still be getting the vaccine even if they think that they had coronavirus before.

BOLDUAN: And you've got then two doses of these vaccines, right?

You got Lori from North Little Rock, Arkansas, with a question about this. And she's saying: If I get the first dose how long after is the second dose administered?

Her concern it seems in her question is that, what if doses run out before she can get that second dose? Does that mean that you know, there's an expiration date?

WEN: Yes. So, the second dose, depending on the type of vaccine, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require three weeks or four weeks between the first and second dose. You should definitely get that second dose. And also, people are not going to be giving you the first dose if there's no second dose.

[11:10:01]

And so, don't worry about it running out. But I would say make sure that you get the same second dose. You don't want to get one of the first and then the second dose of another vaccine. And also, to get it on time. Because that's what's being tested. We don't want people to be waiting longer than the recommended time period because we don't know whether it's still going to give you that same level of protection.

BOLDUAN: Yes. And real quick, one from Pedro in Miami. He asks - he says that he's a caregiver for his mom who is 80 years old and in fragile health. Can he be considered a healthcare worker for purposes of the vaccine, do you think?

WEN: Not at this time. So, right now, the first priority group is going to be healthcare workers in a healthcare setting. But I would say for the viewer as well as for his mother, that they're in a category of more vulnerable individuals and they should be prioritized early but just not yet.

BOLDUAN: And this is just a sampling. There's so many important questions that are coming up and your expertise on this is so critical. Thank you, Dr. Wen.

And a programming note for all of you, Dr. Anthony Fauci will be joining Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta to answer more of your questions just like this about the coronavirus vaccines. "Coronavirus Town Hall: The Vaccines" that begins tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.

Coming up for us, more from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' first joint interview since their election - since their election win. The responses to the question on pressure to make their cabinet more diverse.

But first, we wanted to bring you this. It's an emotional appeal from a Canadian official pleading with people there to follow coronavirus restrictions. The Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, he took to the camera, he took to tape a video statement asking for residents to not gather during Christmas and he's speaking to Canadians, of course, but honestly, it could be a very good message for Americans as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN PALLISTER, CANADIAN POLITICIAN: So, I'm the guy who has to tell you to stay apart at Christmas and in the holiday season you celebrate. I'm the guy who's stealing Christmas to keep you safe because you need to do this now. You need to do the right thing. You don't need to like me. I hope in years to come you might respect me for having the guts to tell you the right thing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:16:30]

BOLDUAN: In a CNN exclusive joint interview President-elect Joe Biden said that he would keep his commitment to putting together a cabinet that looks like the country. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: Look, I'm going to be announcing the remaining 15 members of the cabinet. The first eight members are the most diverse cabinet anyone in American history has ever announced. There are three white men, there are -- excuse me, there are three men, there are five women, there are five people of color, three white people.

I mean, this is going to be an incredibly diverse. I'm going to keep my commitment that the administration both in the White House and outside in the cabinet is going to look like the country.

TAPPER: Last month, Senator Bernie Sanders told the "Associated Press" it would be, quote, "enormously insulting" if your cabinet, the Biden/Harris cabinet, ignored progressive voices.

Who would you point to now as a leading progressive voice in the cabinet?

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're not done yet, Jake. So, we're not even halfway there. So, I think that we should have this conversation when we're done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: This comes as the NAACP and other civil rights groups have come forward to say that Biden and Harris haven't done enough yet in terms of - in terms of this. Putting a lot of public pressure now on the president-elect to nominate more black and Latino nominees to high level cabinet positions.

Joining me right now is Angela Rye, CNN political commentator, the former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus. It is great to see you. It has been way too long.

ANGELA RYE, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: It's so good to see you.

BOLDUAN: We only say hi to each other in texts and on Instagram these days. It's so - it's getting old.

RYE: It is, Kate.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: I spoke to Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP yesterday about this. And he said that yes, he's concerned about the makeup of the cabinet but what it really about for him, he says, it's about civil rights being at the center of the administration's agenda. What did you think about how Biden is answering this question right now?

RYE: Well, I think that, you know, the answer is not as important as the action, right? And so, what we have is throughout this process, Kate, whether we look at the transition agency review teams, there's nobody from an HBCU on the agency review teams. There's no civil rights leader. No civil rights organizer on any of the agency review teams. I think hence President Derrick Johnson's concerns.

I think the other thing that we have to pay attention to is they have some buckets that they've outlined things, there's climate, there's COVID, there's economics and the economy, what the path forward is for the country in that regard and there's racial justice. And they've made significant inroads on all of those things except for when you start talking about racial justice.

I appreciate the fact that Joe Biden has expanded what the cabinet will look like. We know Cecilia Rouse who is a black woman and will be the chair for the Council on Economic Advisers will be cabinet level. We know that Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be the ambassador to the U.N.

However, when you start talking about some of those traditional cabinet posts, people are getting a little afraid because they know what the makeup of the transition agency review teams has been and we certainly understand that when they rolled out their senior level staff for the White House there were a lot of white men. And so, I appreciate that Joe Biden wants the cabinet to reflect the face of America. But I would actually challenge him and say the cabinet needs to reflect the face of your electorate.

[11:20:08] Your electorate was more diverse than the country. Your electorate in the primary and in the general was overwhelmingly black women and black men. And so, I want to hear about the attorney general. I want to hear about Marcia Fudge becoming the Agriculture secretary. I'm happy to hear about Keisha Lance Bottoms potentially for the SBA, but we have got to hear a lot more of these positions really soon.

BOLDUAN: You know, there's also -- you make a great point. But there's also an interesting moment that I wanted to ask you about when Jake asked Joe Biden about the inauguration. The issues you're talking about are much bigger than this, but it is interesting how Joe Biden answered this question because he was asked about the fact that President Trump hasn't yet said if he'll attend. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Do you think it's important that he's there? You're laughing.

BIDEN: I think it would -- important only in one sense. Not in a personal sense. Important in a sense that we are able to demonstrate at the end of this chaos that he's created that there is peaceful transfer of power with the competing parties standing there, shaking hands and moving on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Do you think it's important for Donald Trump to be there?

RYE: You know, it's -- can any of us get to this question without laughing?

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: Why are you laughing about it?

RYE: Because I was watching Kamala's face and she's trying to hold it together and then Joe Biden is just -- it's -- it's actually not funny. What I think is ridiculous and maybe that's why I'm laughing is that we have to have this conversation, Kate, right? Like at some point you would think that he would mature. Not as a commander in chief but just as an adult. At some point you would hope that for him.

And I think that frankly, he might end up being a distraction. So, even the question, in addition to the nervous laugh I just offered, I feel a little anxiety, like what is he going to do there? Is he going to make faces like the class clown that he is? Like I shouldn't name call this early, Kate. I don't know that that would be a good idea for him to attend, but it would break all kinds of like norms.

(LAUGHTER)

BOLDUAN: I know. Honestly.

RYE: What do you think, Kate?

BOLDUAN: I think Joe Biden's answer was telling in that he -- the way he -- I think the way that he's trying to bring down the temperature constantly and how he's watching his wording so much. I think that is most noteworthy. I have no time but one question I want to ask you about.

RYE: Yes.

BOLDUAN: Because you are very focused on the Senate runoff race in Georgia. We have new reporting that there are some big-name Republicans in Georgia that are concerned about what the president might say or do when he's heading down there for a rally tomorrow to rally Republicans. They're concerned, you know, his focus on the lies about fraud could be potentially suppressing voter turnout.

What do you think this means for Democrats? Are you happy that Donald Trump is coming down to Georgia tomorrow?

RYE: I'm sorry. I'm actually not happy no matter where Donald Trump goes. But I will say this. What I'm most concerned about is that, as a black woman, and knowing how much work I did in the general, as a black woman and having sister friends who are working diligently on that race in Georgia, what is most important to me no matter how people vote, Kate, is that they know the importance of their vote and they know -- and they can, hopefully, trust in the electoral process.

And so, anyone undermining that is a tremendous problem. But taking this full circle back to where we started, black women are going to be working really hard on that runoff and just like we're expected to win those elections, we need to be in positions of power in this administration so that we can help Joe Biden and Kamala Harris achieve their mission and we can't do that without a Senate. That's the most important thing. Go vote Georgia.

BOLDUAN: This is our fault, the circle back that you just did, that's called professional. I'm very impressed.

(LAUGHTER)

Angela, it's good to see you. Thank you.

RYE: Love you. Bye-bye.

BOLDUAN: Ahead for us, the economic recovery is slowing down. The latest sign of that, the November jobs report. We have that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:29:12]

BOLDUAN: The November jobs report is out and it's a big disappointment and a troubling sign that the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is slowing down. The U.S. added just 245,000 jobs in November.

Let's get over to CNN's Christine Romans for much more on this. Christine, what do these numbers mean? CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, they mean the jobs recovery is slowing and slowing quickly. I mean, in normal times, 245,000 jobs would be good news but when you look at the chart you can see that there's still a very deep hole.

We lost more than 22 million jobs in March and April and trying to dig out of that, we're digging out of it more slowly. And there's some economists who think we could actually lose jobs again next month because the way the coronavirus is raging.

When you look at the unemployment rate, it fell, Kate, to 6.7 percent. On its surface, it looks like a good number. You want to see it coming down from that awful peak but one of the reasons is a little concerning. It's because 400,000 people just dropped out of the labor market.